Many moons ago (like seven months or something), I reviewed the Chromebook Pixel. And I liked it. While I had issues with ChromeOS at the time, I could definitely see its potential. I finally got around to getting a Samsung Chromebook last week, and was immediately blown away at how far ChromeOS has come in the past several months. Almost all of the issues I had with it back then are gone. In fact, it's my go-to laptop for most things now; I haven't touched my much-more-powerful Windows 8 laptop since the Samsung Chromebook hit my hands. I actually enjoy using it, which is a refreshing feeling for someone who spends the majority of their time criticizing products (be that good or bad).

Of course, it's not perfect in any sense of the word. There are still limitations from being basically restricted to a web browser 100% of the time, and on occasion simple tasks aren't as simple and/or fluid as they should be (I think the latter could be in part due to the Exynos processor found within the Samsung Chromebook and HP Chromebook 11) - but again, the progress being made in ChromeOS could see the performance issues out the door fairly soon.

For the first time in probably forever, I actually find myself using a product the way ads show it being used. In Google's Chromebook ads, it shows off how fast they boot up, how easy they are to use, and how everything is stored in the cloud. Since I got my Chromebook, I've been in love with how quickly I can get started doing what I need to do - I just open it. Boom, it's ready to go. I moved to the beta channel (which requires a powerwash), and it was back up and running again exactly how it was before in about 15 minutes. Try doing that with a Windows computer. No chance. If I change something in Chrome on my desktop, my Chromebook follows suit, making the transition between computers basically seamless. This is the future that I've wanted for so long.

The Chrome Store has also come a long way since my last foray into ChromeOS, and the new breed of "For your Desktop" apps are fantastic - I just wish there were more of them. Still, I've found that nearly all the tools I use on a daily basis are available now (or at least an acceptable replacement) in one form or another.

There are still some things missing from my day-to-day, but for once I'm actually willing to wait for A) certain "applications" to make their way to a new platform, or 2) for circumstances to change so the aforementioned software is no longer needed. This says one major thing to me: ChromeOS is actually changing the way I use my computers, in a way that I feel like is for the better. Instead of feeling the need to bend software to my will, or finding an application that does exactly what I want, I'm finding new and inventive ways to get things done. Taking a different direction. It's like I'm seeing things through different eyes for the first time in a long time.